An initial description:

A kingly old man is seated on a stone throne. His hair is white and long, like his curling beard. He has a jeweled band across his forehead. A spiral is centered on his chest and glows. He is wearing a mulberry tunic and green leggings, as well as green footwear. The throne is made of stone and on the left is the spiral symbol once more. On the right arm of the throne are some nature based symbols. At his feet are many small pebbles and all around him are grass and greenery. Tall old tress grow around him and in them are many faces, reminiscent of nature spirits. The card is primarily green and brown in color.

Preliminary meanings:

The wise old man is most likely a king. He is revered for his knowledge and advice, and is a guide. He is familiar with nature and the way of mankind.

The basic fairy tale from once upon a fairy tale:

A mother left her twins and they were replaced by changelings. She goes to Llanidloes' wise man, who tells her how to find out if they are. They were, and she drowns them, getting back her own children.

personal significance:

The wise old man sees between the two worlds.

book symbolism, etc:

The wise old man is focus and clear vision through obscurity; he is mature vitality and has new ideas. He is authority, continuity and balance; the unity of the conscious and unconscious. He is spiritual enlightenment and father like leadership. A reminder to proceed with a rational and deliberate mind.

variations of the Brewery of Egg shells:

I couldn't find any variations, although I found a number of articles on changelings.

Traditional meanings of the Emperor (From Gray's book):

Stability, law and order. He is the active father force and stands for domination, authority, and law. It means leadership, mental activity, and results of action. Reversed is a loss of control.

Parallels:

Both the wise old man and the emperor embody power and authority, a testament to their wisdom and control. He is a leader, who guides one through perilous times.

The Emperor (From Journey of the hero):

He personifies structure, order, clarity, and reality. He is the guarantee of security and order as well as responsibility and perseverance. He also is the power that allows ideas, desires, and intentions to become. He is the force protecting life. His archetype is the father, and is the moving force of reality.

Related to the Wise Old Man:

The two men are both the figure of responsibility and clarity. The wise man is a guide who protects the life of the child, returning him to his mother.

Meditation/writing jump off:

 The wise old man sits on his throne in the forest. His throne has been there since the beginning of time, made of solid stone that withstands the elements. He stars into your eyes, a hand upon his knee as he listens to you speak, the forest around him paying attention like a king's court should. He is here; offering up the wisdom and guidance of the ages, a beacon of light who has seen it all.  

 An initial description:

Four large orange pumpkins sit in a green garden amidst yellow blossoms. A pair of mice sit atop one on the left, and a blue flowered bag on the right, which a golden light is spilling out of that surrounds the main figure. The main figure is an older woman who is standing behind the bag. Her long, gray hair fans out around her smiling face, and a crown is on her head. Flowers adorn her hair and drift down from it. Her face is strong and kind. Around her neck is a necklace; her top is orange, with a vine pattern and scales adorn the sleeves ending in dark green arm warmers. her skirt is green with floral vines, reminiscent of the Lake Maiden's. A glowing wand rests in her hand. To her right is the moon, and behind it, a thorn guarded castle with tall towers. To her left is a maiden. The girl is pale against the dark wash of blue night, and her hair is a glowing blonde. She is wearing a pale green ball gown. Above her are four birds, the front one bearing a green thread. 

Preliminary meanings:
The fairy godmother is there in the time of need. She is wise and shares knowledge, bestowing it upon those who are worthy of great gifts. Things are about to shift. 

The basic fairy tale from once upon a fairy tale: (Cinderella)
Cinderella was beautiful and kind despite being mistreated by her step family. They receive an invitation to the ball and she stays. Her fairy godmother sends her off, beautiful. The prince loved her. The next night she returned but left her slipper behind. Cinderella is discovered and her sisters repent.

personal significance:
The fairy godmother is a symbol of karma-- goodness is rewarded. 

book symbolism, etc:
The fairy godmother is connected with the power of nature and the conductor of forces. The moon is a reminder of constant change. This card represents growth. Connect with your enterprising spirits and become more intuitive and aware of potential. 

variations of Cinderella:
-The Baba Yaga (russian): Her stepmother sends her to the baba yaga, her aunt. Real aunt gives her information and gifts. Cat helps her escape. She escapes and her father shoots the mother-in-law.
-Cenerentola (Italian): Daughter (Zezolla) had a great governess. She kills step mother and has governess as mother- who secretly has 6 daughters and makes her a slave-- changing her name to Cenerentola. Fairy sends her wish granting tree that dresses her and sends her to the ball three times. She loses her slipper on the last time and all the women have to try it on. It fits her and she is queen.
-The Cinder Maid (French): A ball was called, and the daughter was not allowed to go, but her father wanted her to. The hazel tree at her mother's grave dresses her three times for three balls. The last time she leaves behind 1 shoe. They send around a herald with the shoe. The eldest cuts off toes and is found out. The other cuts off her heel and is found out. Cinder Maid marries him and is happy. 

Traditional meanings of the Empress (From Gray's book):
Traditionally the Earth Mother. She symbolizes the productive, generative activities of the subconscious. She is the multiplication of images or universal fecundity. She represents material wealth, fertility and the creative arts.

Parallels:
Both the Empress and the fairy Godmother symbolize wealth and gifts. Pictorially they share symbols of nature and growth. 

The Empress (From Journey of the hero):
Traditionally embodies Mother Nature and the force of culture. She embodies everything natural. She is surrounded by the symbols of fertility and is the source from which all life arises. This is the card of creativity and gives birth to something new. She is the mother archetype.

Related to the Fairy Godmother:
The godmother watches over her charge like it is her own child, helping and nurturing its life and giving it a new start of their own. 

Meditation/writing jump off:
I held my wand and smiled proudly at my bag of magic fairy dust. The mice sat at my feet, waiting with the pumpkins for my next command and the birds began to fly in, waiting as well. The moon's power flowed through my veins as I began to work my magic, helping the ethereal girl prepare for her destiny to come true; for the prince of the ball at the castle. The magic surrounds me like the wings of a butterfly.

 An initial description:

A middle-aged woman stands on a river. She has blonde, glowing hair with light dotting through it. On her face is a slight smile, and she appears to be looking off in the distance. Around her neck is a blue necklace. The bodice of her dress is a light blue-green; the rest is a pale gray that fades into the rippling surface of the water. Both the bodice and bottom of the dress are flowing with vines and flowers. In the surface of the water, around her dress, float 3 dark pink roses. It looks like she is the water. Beneath her left arm is a small wooden basket with a floral lid. The river flows and has swirls of light dotting across it. On the right is a lone mossy rock. Grass grows along the shore, and to the left, wild dark pink flowers grow. Spindly trees with bare branches lead off, and the sun is rising or setting, painting the lower sky a pale yellow and orange. The stars dot the light blue sky, and tall grasses beckon beyond the trees.

Preliminary meanings:
The sorceress represents Mother Earth. She is solid and nurturing, filled with magic, raw power, and kindness. She has a special bond with nature, especially water, and is intuitive and emotional, yet calm and soothing.

The basic fairy tale from once upon a fairy tale: (The Lake Maiden)
A shepherd caught himself a lake maiden. They married and had children. He taps her on the shoulder 3 times and she leaves (it was the only conditional clause). Their children visit her and she teaches them the magical arts of healing.

personal significance:
The sorceress is a symbol of intuitive magic. She is in touch with nature and the emotional. She focuses on healing, luck, and good.

book symbolism, etc:
The sparkling water represents the unconsciousness and intuition. The roses signify life, fecundity, and new ideas. You can start acquiring awareness of the greater forces at work in your life.

variations of the lake maiden:
- The lake maiden is also known as "The Shepherd of Myddvai," a celtic/welsh fairy tale. There are many parallels to the elements of: bride capture of a (swan) maiden, recognition of the bride, taboo of causeless blows, doomed to be broken, disappearance of maiden, and return as guardian spirit.
- The Swan Maiden, by Howard Pyle: A king sends his 3 sons one by one to watch his golden pear tree. The first sleeps. The second sleeps. The third puts wax in his ears and sees the swan maiden. He rides her to a witch's house on a glass hill where he is set to three tasks. The maiden does them for him (cleans stables, thatches the stable roof with feathers, and helps him get crow eggs). When he is home, he opens the three eggs, getting a palace, animals and servants. They marry.
- The story of the Swan Maiden: King marries a swan girl, and they have a baby. Jealous Gypsy pushes her into a well and marries the king. A boy cuts a flute from a willow in the well which betrays the Gypsy and turns back into the queen.
-The Mermaid Wife: A man steals a sea maiden's seal skin. She marries him and they have children. One child finds the skin, and she takes it, going back home to her first husband.

Traditional meanings of the high priestess (From Gray's book):
The high priestess protects the scroll of esoteric wisdom. She represents the moon and the eternal feminine. She is the virgin goddess, and spiritual enlightenment. She has the latent power to manifest and is the link between the seen and unseen. She is of special value for artists, poets, and mystics. She represents the perfect woman/'s virtues.

Parallels:
The sorceress also embodies latent and inherent power, as well as the link between the seen and unseen. She also has esoteric knowledge that she passes on to her children. Pictorially, the parallels are the gowns.

The High Priestess (From Journey of the hero):
Traditionally the opposite of the magician. She is patient willingness to let oneself be guided and wait for the right moment. Everything has its time; let things happen themselves. It is the trust in our inner voice showing us a path and if we should take action, and when, where, and how. She is the "wisdom of the womb" and stands for the dream world, feeling and sensing. As well as intuiting the correlations as well as the source of deepest inspiration. The archetype is the Queen of Heaven.

Related to Sorceress:
The sorceress patiently waits for the shepherd to present the right food. When he messes up, she leaves. She has knowledge of healing that she passes on and the water she comes from signifies the intuition that the high priestess shares.

Meditation/writing jump off:
I wait at the meeting place for the one who searches for knowledge. My intuition tells me that the one is coming, and I have the gifts prepared, here under my arm. The wisdom of nature surrounds me- from the ancient trees grasping for sunlight and life, to the flower that floats along the river. Here I am, at the time when day and night meets... Where are you?

 An initial description:

A small boy in an orange tunic is looking at a decorated box. The box is ornately decorated- a flower in a circle on the lid, with eyeballs and ornate swirls on the sides. Inside is a green glob and it's emitting light and a rainbow turns into a snake-like dragon behind as well as another beside him. There are a few more in the smoke behind him. The box is sitting on a brown table. His head is crowned with a glowing smoke wreath of laurels.

Preliminary meanings:
The innocent's curiosity has led him to open the box, releasing the dragons and the magical light. The crown of laurels signifies that he was fated to do so; he is a winner. The eye on the box symbolizes knowledge and is similar to that of the fabled illuminati. He appears to be chinese; dragons are important to the chinese and are revered as ancestors and wise. Behind him in the smoke are many many dragons, watching him. His hand is hesitantly outstretched towards the glowing green glob, signifying growth (as the fool is foolhardy and always ready to take a chance).

The basic fairy tale from once upon a fairy tale:
Wu and his family are visited by spirits. Grandmother says there will be a storm and they will be spared. The dragon protects them and gives Wu a scale that he puts in a box. He becomes the Emperor's palace magician/advisor.

personal significance:
The boy heeds the spirit world and its call, which grants him a great gift and power. Likewise, if we heed the call of life and the path we should be on, we will end up in a better place.

book symbolism, etc:
The box is key to hidden mental powers- dragon is knowledge, guide, and teacher. The light is cosmic energy. You can tap into inner resources and should listen to your heart.

variations of Wu and the Thunder Dragon:
I could not find any similar tales to "Thunder Dragon." Instead I looked up the symbolism/mythology of dragons and dragon scales:
- Bhutense: Druk, the thunder dragon, is their national symbol.
- Vietnamese: Important to agriculture/rain, prosperity and yang.
- Japanese/China: Symbols of luck, good, buddha, and protection. Protects the East, Spring, Wood and Yang. Enemy is the Phoenix. There are 5 types: Celestial, spiritual, imperial, earth and treasure-guarding. Dragons produce rain.
- Tale of Urashima: Man marries dragon king's daughter. 1 day there is the equivalent of 300 human years. He opens up the magical box his wife gave him and loses his youth, dying.
- Dragons are universally seen in the East as being just, benevolent, and bringing wealth/good fortune.

Traditional meanings of the magician (From Gray's book):
Will is in unison with the divine (or subconscious and conscious) to bring things into manifestation. Power.

Parallels:
The power. Wu was given knowledge; the rider gets it through the elements. Both are focusing on tapping into inner reaches. Similarities in artwork are the tables, robust colors (red and orange), serpent-like creatures, youths, and elaborate trappings.

The fool (From Journey of the hero):
Traditionally this card pairs with the High Priestess to form the heavenly parents. The magician is the archetypal masculine in the world of ideas. This is the path of the search of knowledge that explores nature to understand and rule it. The table represents earth while his hands symbolize the connection of two worlds. It represents intelligence and skill as well as will and power to master the tasks given in order to become whole. The archetype is that of the creator/master.

Related to the fairy tale tarot version of Magician:
The boy is looking at the key to knowledge- by respecting the dragon he has heeded the call of the spirit world and become the master of his own destiny.

Meditation/writing jump off:
I paused hesitantly before lifting the lid of the heavily decorated box. Would it contain knowledge, or all the evils in the world, like Pandora's? I gasped at the sight of the large green scale and shielded my eyes from it's glow. This was the gift of a great dragon, and within it was the knowledge of the ancients. I smiled as a dragon of light encircled me, and I felt lucky.

 An initial description:

The wolf on the path almost blends in with the gray of the trees. The trees at the forefront of the scene are garnled with hidden faces; it almost as if they are the embodiment of the lost souls along the way, watching over the young ferns below them like old mothers. One tree (right) has a snail on it, similarly a spiral snail's shell is on the path behind Red. Before her on the path are 3 red and white shrooms (reminding me of alice in wonderland), signifying the psychedelic shamanistic nature of the journey before her. Red is a pretty blonde child in a traditional outfit- the blue mary janes, sunflowers and blue/white skirt (Again, alice in wonderland-esque) signify her childish nature. She's holding a closed flower in one hand and a picnic basket in the other- a red and white tablecloth is peeking out, showing her careless nature. The wolf is grinning friendly like and holding his paws together; his bushy tail is curled like a shepherd's crook almost. The opposite side of the path is decked in red, white and pink flowers. When reversed the large face that smiles in the tree is frowning.

Preliminary meanings: 
The innocent is beginning on a shaman's journey. Childish and careless, she doesn't see the wolf waiting to catch her. The trees represent earth and the wisdom of those who have gone before you. The story of red riding hod exemplifies "Innocence" well. It signifies the happy go-lucky individual who floats along in life barely coping and thinking things through.

The basic fairy tale from once upon a fairy tale:
Little red riding hood was going to her grandma's to bring her food. The wolf tells her to pick flowers and eats the grandma, and then little red. A huntsman cuts him open, freeing them and then fills the wolf with stones, killing him.

personal significance:
Little red is the essence of innocent; she is trusting, gullible and carefree. Despite this, she manages to be very lucky. And luck and innocence seem to go hand in hand; perhaps to be lucky one must be an innocent at heart. Innocence to me means bliss, carefreeness, being naive. An innocent is child-like; full of wonder, hope and joy- all things we lose as the world and life press around us.

book symbolism, etc:
You're currently wandering the unknown. You rely on impulse. Spirit will help you along the way, but watch for tricksters.

variations of red riding hood:
-Perrault's: The end of this version is Red and grandma being eaten. The moral is to never talk to strangers. (french)
-Little Red Cap: This is the version that came with the book (German)
- The Grandmother: This one is very different! The wolf and Red eat grandma and drink her blood. Red is a "slut" and gets naked but has to pee and runs away. (French)
- The true story of little golden hood: Grandma's not home. Red gets naked except for her hood which is a magic invisible hood. Granny comes home and saves her by opening her sack and drowning the wolf in the well. (French)

It's interesting how many different variations there are of this tale.

Traditional meanings of the fool (From Gray's book):
A representation of inexperience. Beginning of life's journey; facing unknown challenges and beginning the cycle. You have ambition for a great goal, but take care to make the right choice.

Parallels:
Both represent child-like inexperience, the care-free attitude, and the beginning of the journey. The similarities in artwork are the presence of the wolf behind (dog in RW), and the rose in hand.

The fool (From Journey of the hero):
Traditionally the youngest, the idiot, the fool. The person who solves the greatest problems is always the one who we doubt- they symbolize the genuineness and integrity of the personality. The dog- helpful powers of instinct- leads him away from the abyss. Fool's wallet is full of unused knowledge. His goal IS knowledge- he knows nothing or does not use his knowledge. It stands for the cheerful uncomplicated side that tries out new things until it succeeds or loses interest- happily. Archetype is the child/simpleton, and it's a reminder to try out new things joyfully!

Related to Innocence:
Red is the child and she ignores her mother's warning, not using her knowledge. The wolf seems to be the opposite of the dog, he leads Red off the path and then eats her. In this role he seems to portray the classic cycle of life; killing and eating. The wolf is a cunning trickster, there to teach Red the importance of heeding advice and using her knowledge. Red is cheerful and simplistic; she is easily fooled by the wolf's "good intentions" and costume changes. Likewise, her grandmother, a wise figure, is an example of unused wisdom for falling for his lies and letting him in. The trees in the background are similar to the cliffs; they give a sense of the massive, heavy wisdom of an older forest.

Meditation/writing jump off:
The trees stand solemnly, watching. Their bark covered fingers rustle in the stillness, grasping. The wolf stands behind me, his voice whispering twistedly, like the demon in my subconsciousness. The basket in my hand is heavy and the rose in the other, beautiful. Should I pick the flowers or heed mother??